Saturday, September 23, 2006

Rethinking Assessment and its role in supporting Educational Reform

Many educators believe that what gets assessed is what gets taught (Bond, 1995) and that the format of assessment influences the format of learning and teaching (O'Day & Smith, 1993). Teachers teach students the ‘knowledge’ deemed necessary for them to pass exams. Students learn how to regurgitate these knowledge; they seldom apply what they know and can do in real-life situations. In Singapore especially, when academic excellence is on every parent’s wish list, teachers are pressurized to complete the syllabus so that students will be prepared to take the exams. Many teachers even utilize the ‘less important’ Civics & Moral Education period to revise Trigonometry and Organic Chemistry. Now, more than ever, we need to rethink assessment and how it will support the much-desired educational reform.

School reform is motivated by the belief that there are competencies needed for graduates to enter the workforce successfully. The Secretary's commission on Achieving Necessary Skills developed generic competencies and foundation skills that all workers will need in the future (U.S. Department of Labor, 1991). These skills include working in teams, flexible problem solving, taking responsibility for one's own performance, and life-long learning. We need to move from the narrow emphasis on academic achievement, to a broader, more well-rounded notion of success; a more holistic approach to education. The pursuit of good grades should not be an all-consuming passion in itself above everything else. It is important to get students to practice the values taught in schools. Of equal importance will be leadership development, and character development of the students.

One of the strategies is to develop a comprehensive assessment system using different assessment formats to meet different users' needs. According to Darling-Hammod, various assessment strategies can be implemented together at different levels to provide for the different information needs in a coordinated and coherent manner. Besides the normal ‘paper-and-pencil’ tests, other assessment modes can be introduced such as course work, source-based assessment, and project work. These modes emphasize assessment of skills rather than end-products. These will encourage students to explore and construct networks of knowledge and skills and provide them with exposure to a greater variety of practical tasks. Both schools and teachers can be asked to introduce other modes of assessment which are appropriate for their students, guided by curricula guidelines.

A good example is Notschool.net, an online research project that re-engages young people of school age back into learning (Notschool is initiated by Ultralab, UK’s leading learning technology research centre). Notschool.net’s virtual community of over 1700 young people were given the opportunity to develop their self-esteem and be reintroduced to learning through the support of mentors, buddies, experts and the use of media and technology. Each ‘researcher’ (student) is given a Mac, broadband connection, an inkjet printer and a digital camera. The researchers are also able to borrow scanners, video cameras and drawing tablets. They are encouraged to learn the subjects they are interested in and start their own projects using technology. They will be awarded nationally recognized accreditations when they have completed their learning journeys. Notschool.net’s alternative schooling and assessment methods have indeed been successful in encouraging students to learn and excel in a non-conventional environment.

References:

Bond, L. N. (1995). Critical Issue: rethinking assessment and its role in supporting educational reform. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved 13 November, 2006 from
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as700.htm

Darling-Hammond, L. (Spring, 1994). Performance assessment and educational equity. Harvard Educational Review, 64 (1), 5-29.

Notschool.net. Retrieved 13 November, 2006, from http://www.notschool.net/

O'Day, J.A. and Smith, M. (1993). Systemic school reform and educational opportunity. In S. Fuheman (Ed.), Designing coherent educational policy: Improving the system (pp. 250-311). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

U.S. Department of Labor (1991). Secretary's commission on achieving necessary skills. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home